Acupuncture for IVF
If you’re going through IVF, you already know how much strength it takes to stay hopeful through each stage. Acupuncture can support both your body and mind throughout the process, helping to regulate hormones, calm the nervous system, and optimise blood flow to the uterus and ovaries.
I work with patients across Hitchin, Hertfordshire, and surrounding areas, offering in-person and mobile acupuncture for IVF. Whether you’re preparing for a fresh or frozen transfer and you simply want to give your body the best chance, acupuncture can form a valuable part of your IVF plan.
Acupuncture has been shown to help regulate reproductive hormones, improve endometrial thickness, and support embryo implantation. It’s also deeply grounding during what can be an emotionally demanding time. Many of my patients describe their sessions as a time to pause, exhale, and feel like themselves again.
Treatment Phases
Each IVF journey is slightly different, but here’s how acupuncture typically fits into the process.
Down-regulation phase
Depending on your IVF protocol:
Long GnRH agonist or GnRH antagonist with pretreatment medication: acupuncture once a week for up to 4 weeks before ovarian stimulation begins.
Short protocol without pretreatment medication: weekly treatments during the first 3 weeks, increasing to twice weekly in the final week before stimulation.
This phase helps regulate the menstrual cycle and prepare your body for controlled ovarian stimulation.
Ovarian stimulation phase
Once stimulation medication starts, acupuncture ideally begins between days 1–3.
Treatments are usually twice weekly or every other day until your trigger injection, which is typically 36 hours before egg retrieval.
This stage focuses on supporting follicle development, promoting blood flow to the ovaries, and calming the nervous system.
Final egg maturation & egg retrieval
Acupuncture is recommended on the day between your trigger injection and egg retrieval.
This supports circulation and balances the body as it prepares for collection.
Embryo transfer
When your clinic schedules your embryo transfer, acupuncture within 24 hours of transfer can help support implantation.
Implantation support
After transfer, I recommend a treatment 4 days after egg transfer, followed by another session halfway between that and your pregnancy test date.
These sessions support implantation and reduce anxiety during the waiting period.
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Effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
In this 2023 study of 4,757 participants using acupuncture during IVF they found "acupuncture can significantly improve CPR (clinical pregnancy rate) and LBR (live birth rate) among women undergoing IVF."
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Impact of Whole-Systems Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy on In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study
In this 2023 retrospective cohort study of 2,733 patients found that "Our findings suggest that WS-TCM (whole systems Traditional Chinese Medicine) therapy may improve the LBRs (live birth rates) and cumulative LBRs of subfertile women undergoing IVF-ET.
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Acupuncture and women’s health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women’s reproductive health
In this 2014 literature review they found "We have preliminary data indicating that acupuncture may improve menstrual health and coping among women experiencing delays in becoming pregnant. There are experimental data indicating that acupuncture can influence female reproductive functioning, although the actual mechanisms involved are not yet clarified"
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IVF, acupuncture and mental health: a qualitative study of perceptions and experiences of women participating in a randomized controlled trial of acupuncture during IVF treatment
In this 2021 qualitative survey of 50 women they found the following experience of receiving acupuncture whilst undergoing IVF:
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"In this study, many women believed that their well-being was enhanced by having acupuncture during treatment, describing this as reduction of stress typically characterized as relaxation. Furthermore, they described experiencing higher-order features of well-being such as increased optimism, calmness, peacefulness, mindfulness and feeling good within and about themselves"
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"in this qualitative study, participants reported that compassionate care and an opportunity to rest during IVF, and especially following embryo transfer, had an emotionally important effect"